La Filastrocca Della Morlacca

Song Meaning

The lyrics introduce "La Morlacca" as a grotesque old woman, described with unsettling imagery like a "papier-mâché face" and "wax seal mouth." She's physically withered and sickly, yet she bestows an amulet, a "promise," upon the narrator. This juxtaposition of the repulsive and the gift-giving creates an immediate sense of unease, hinting at a darker purpose behind the seemingly benevolent act. The repetitive "filastrocca" (nursery rhyme) framing makes this unsettling figure feel like a persistent, almost inescapable childhood fear. This unsettling presence is directly linked to a pervasive "bitterness" in the narrator's life, a "certainty" that never leaves. The lyrics suggest a grim view of existence, where life isn't just a "carnival" and those who survive end up "in the hospital." The arrival of La Morlacca, signaled by a crow's caw, seems to coincide with this inescapable melancholy, amplifying the feeling that misfortune is always lurking. The writing crafts a potent atmosphere through vivid, almost folkloric, imagery. La Morlacca is seen "twirling around the fire" on the "Night of the Witches," amidst "devil's flames," and is blamed for a horse's distress, needing its "tightly braided" mane undone to ward off the "evil eye." This taps into a primal fear of witchcraft and curses, making La Morlacca a tangible embodiment of bad luck and malevolent forces. The narrator's own attempts to combat this "jettatura" (bad luck) with a "spell, even without a VAT number" adds a touch of darkly humorous resignation. The effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their ability to blend the absurdly grotesque with a deep-seated sense of dread. La Morlacca isn't just a character; she's a personification of persistent misfortune and the anxieties that cling to life. The nursery rhyme structure, combined with the stark, almost superstitious imagery, creates a disquieting effect that lingers, much like the "bitterness" the narrator describes as their only certainty.